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Grow an organization by planting volunteers

Most nonprofit organizations depend on volunteers. And most volunteer organizations are asked how in the world they recruit and keep volunteers. While not every organization is the same, there are definitely some best practices that many open source software projects have discovered and evolved.

The keys to a successful volunteer organization include recognizing the leadership talents in others, helping people identify their passions and enabling them to get things done while creating a strong sense of vision and direction. It also involves good organizational and cultural practices for recognizing contributions, making decisions and even letting people move on. I'd like to share what I've learned about encouraging and growing other people's passions and interests with examples from GNOME, Mozilla and Kids on Computers.

Come explore with me what motivates volunteers and how successful organizations grow leaders, make decisions and get things done.